马海蛟 Ma Haijiao: invisible shore

影像观看链接 | Video web

https://vimeo.com/mahaijiao

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《不见彼岸》

2018

系列摄影，共九幅

单幅尺寸 40 x 60 cm; 装裱尺寸 54 x 74 cm

Invisible Shore

2018

Series of 9 photographs

40 x 60 cm each; 54 x 74 cm, framed

艺术家于2018年在海参崴驻地，期间在日常的俄语世界中遭遇到了诸多的中文词汇，如出租车内室挂件上印有的“出入平安”，餐厅招牌上写有“不限流量的肉”以及“风景这边独好”。艺术家收集这些词句并将其印在木桩上，此后将木桩抛至于划分中俄边界的兴凯湖以及海参崴的周边海域。

The series Invisible Shore mobilizes the fragments of Chinese text integrated into the Vladivostok’s streets. During his first few excursions around the city, the artist was impressed by the abundance of Chinese phrases embedded within daily life as a familiar part of the visual appearance of the city. To come across one’s native tongue in such a big country was an unusual experience for the artist, who had yet to encounter this phenomenon in his travels.

At the same time, the Chinese text that one can find in Vladivostok has a very distinct character; among the examples are such phrases as the traditional "Wishing You Safety Wherever You Go" (a typical New Years’ greeting in China) or “Let It Go” (one of the basic principles of Buddhism) on a pendant in the interior of a taxi, or “Unlimited Meat” and "The Landscape Here is Beyond Compare" on a restaurant sign. The artist collected these assorted fragments of text and transferred them onto pieces of wood, which he released into the waters around the border areas.

Some of the photographs were taken on Lake Khanka, which runs along the border between China and the Russia Foundation. Others were taken in the waterways of the Bay of Peter the Great and the waters around Russky Island and Amur Bay. The artist sees water as the element connecting the two countries, since its constant fluidity allows it to endlessly flow back and forth from one shore to the other. The title of this series refers to the fact that somewhere beyond the horizon, on the opposite edge of the vast expanse of water lies another land, unknown to us, which is too far away for us to see.